10 



E. A. Newell Arher — On a large Silicified Tree, 



progress in this respect during the last sixty years. He says, 

 " Such slices have hitherto only been prepared by the most skilful 

 lapidary, and at great cost." ^ 



Sections of the harder parts of the tree have recently been mad© 

 with the object of determining, if possible, the group of Coniferae 

 to which this specimen belongs. The preservation is exceedingly 

 beautiful, the pits on the walls of the woody elements being 

 well preserved. 



The conclusion arrived at from an examination of these sections 

 is that the woody tissues of the tree possess a structure of the typo 

 known as Cupressinoxylon, Goepp. As this species has not, apparently, 

 been named hitherto, I propose to call it Cupressinoxylon hoolceri, in 

 honour of the great Botanist whose description of this specimen 

 formed one of his earliest scientific contributions. 



Fig. 2. — Cupressinoxylon hoolrri, sp. nov, 

 [a) Radial longitudiual section showing the medullary rajs with simple pits, and 



spring tracheides with bordered pits. r.p. resin parenchj-ma ; a.t. tracheides of 



autumn wood, x 200 (slightly restored). 

 {b) Tangential longitudinal section, r.^. resin parenchjTua. x 200. 



It has been long known that it is not possible to refer coniferous 

 woods, by a study of the anatomy of stems, whether recent or fossil, 

 to genera based on the natural affinities of such plants. This was first 

 clearly pointed out by Goeppert" in his treatises on the structure of 

 living and fossil Coniferai published in 1841 and 1850. Several 

 recent genera belonging to such widely different families as 

 CupressacejB, Abietaceaa, and Taxoidiacege, possess a woody structure 



1 Hooker: ibid., p. 26. 



- Goeppert : " De Conii'erarum, structura anatomica," Breslau, 18-il ; and '* Mono- 

 graph der fossilen Coniferen," Leiden, 1850. 



